Cowpea aphid borne mosaic virus (CABMV) control by cultural management and genetic transformation of passionfruit

• Grant number: 16/08573-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: August 01, 2016
• End date: July 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Agronomy - Plant Health
• Agreement: Coordination of Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES)
• Principal Investigator: Jorge Alberto Marques Rezende
• Grantee: David Marques de Almeida Spadotti
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The Passifloraceae family is widely distributed throughout the tropics, with more than 580 species. Among the edible species of the genus Passiflora, P. edulis f. flavicarpa and P. alata are the most cultivated in Brazil. The country is the world's leading producer of yellow passion fruit. Due to the Increasing of the cultivated area, the number of phytosanitary problems have harmed the production and fruit quality of passion fruit. Among them, the Cowpea aphid borne mosaic virus (CABMV), causal agent known as passion fruit woodiness disease, has been highlighted, because it is disseminated by all producing areas of passion fruit in the country. This virus reduces the longevity of plants and it causes quantitative and qualitative damages on the production. Until the moment, lasting and effective alternatives to control the disease are not available. Thus, this project aims to continue the disease control studies that began in 2001, with FAPESP support: i) a first proposal, with results expected in medium and long terms, it is intended to select advanced progeny from transgenic plants containing the coat protein gene from CABMV, with "hairpin" configuration, for resistance to virus replication and disease tolerance. The R2 progeny plants obtained from transgenic line FB-100 9x P. edulis f. flavicarpa and R1 transgenic plants from sweet passion will be evaluated. Quantification of CABMV will be evaluated by RT-qPCR; ii) a second proposal in order to provide disease control in a shorter term, it is intended to re-evaluate the practical and especially economic viability of the systematic eradication of plants with mosaic in the cultural management of the disease. Individual arbors, where the eradication method has proved effective, but expensive, will be compared with conventional plantation in espalier, but individualizing the plants, also associated with the eradication of plants with mosaic. In addition, it is intended to investigate the possibility of mechanical transmission of the virus during the manual pollination of passionfruit with pollen from infected plant, due to epidemiological implications for the spread of the pathogen and consequently in the cultural management strategy. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

SPADOTTI, DAVID M. A.; BIBIANO, LILLIAN B. J.; REZENDE, JORGE A. M.. Unlikely transmission of Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus by hand pollination of passionflower. TROPICAL PLANT PATHOLOGY, APR 2021. (16/08573-8)

SPADOTTI, DAVID M. A.; BIBIANO, LILLIAN B. J.; REZENDE, JORGE A. M.. Unlikely transmission of Cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus by hand pollination of passionflower. TROPICAL PLANT PATHOLOGY, v. 46, n. 4, p. 476-480, AUG 2021. (16/08573-8)

SPADOTTI, D. M. A.; BELLO, V. H.; FAVARA, G. M.; STANGARLIN, O. S.; KRAUSE-SAKATE, R.; REZENDE, J. A. M.. Passiflora edulis: new natural host of Melochia yellow mosaic virus in Brazil. AUSTRALASIAN PLANT DISEASE NOTES, v. 14, n. 1, JUL 12 2019. (16/08573-8)